In the year 34 AH / 655 AD, the Byzantine fleet, led by Emperor Guenstanz II, attempted to invade Alexandria in order to restore Byzantine dominance over Egypt. ‘Abdullaah ibn Abi Sarh was appointed as the governor of Egypt by the Caliph ‘Uthmaan ibn ‘Afaan, May Allaah Be Pleased with them, at that time. The governor led the Egyptian fleet to repel the danger of the Byzantines. Mu‘aawiyah ibn Abi Sufyaan, May Allaah Be Pleased with him, sent the Muslim fleet, led by Busr ibn Abi Artaah, May Allaah Be Pleased with him, to cooperate with the Egyptian fleet in defending the country against the Byzantine assault.

The two fleets, the Egyptian and the Muslim, met with the Byzantine fleet in Phoenix on the Lycia coast, south of Asia Minor [Anatolia], in a battle that became known as Thaat As-Sawaari (the Battle of the Masts).
The Muslims tied their ships to the Byzantine ships. As the fleets came to touch each other, a fierce hand-to-hand fight with swords and daggers took place on board the ships.

In this type of warfare the Muslims commanded superiority. The Battle of Phoenix was a crucial naval battle and a landmark in the history of Islam. Muslims rejoiced at their first naval victory, and became a naval power. Historians described the Battle of the Masts as the second Yarmook. However, the Muslims did not take advantage of this victory and hastened to conquer Constantinople, and perhaps the reason behind this was the murder of the Caliph ‘Uthmaan ibn ‘Affaan, May Allaah Be Pleased with him, that coincided with this victory.

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